There is sadness, and there is saudade, a nostalgic yearning for an elusive past—which is said to be the essence of the Portuguese soul. In this tribute to the most romantic of melancholias from Vancouver-bred, New York-based choreographer Joshua Beamish, six male dancers (with a range of credits that include Nederlands Dans Theater, Alvin Ailey, and Martha Graham) confront their existential incompleteness. Merging balletic poise with street-style body isolation, they conjure hollow intimacies in a series of ghostly solos, pas de deux, and group passages, paying homage to the absence that keeps us longing.

PROGRAM NOTES

Choreography by Joshua Beamish Music by Hildur Guðnadóttir Lighting design by Mike Inwood